A World Worth Protecting

1

The entire square seemed to have vanished in Zhuo Yixian’s eyes. He only saw an enormous whirlpool before him that threatened to tear everything apart. Even after he melded with two of his past lives and could, to a certain extent, hold his ground with one at the Foundation Establishment realm, he could do nothing to stop Wang Baole’s attack at that moment.

Terror overtook him. Zhuo Yixian could hardly breathe. He tried his best to defend himself, but Wang Baole’s fist came rushing towards him. The whirlpool surged forward and, within the blink of an eye, drove agony into every part of Zhuo Yixian’s body. He was on the verge of collapse.

As Zhuo Yixian shuddered fiercely and was finally going to yield to the assault, a middle-aged man walked out behind him. He wore a long robe, his hair was long, and his face had a smattering of black spots, giving him an appearance of extreme gloom. As he approached, his aura burst forth from his person in an explosion.

He transformed from an inconspicuous stranger to a cultivator at the early-stage Foundation Establishment realm. With a single step, he reached Zhuo Yixian’s side and pulled him away. His left hand formed hand seals and pushed them towards the approaching Wang Baole.

“Scram!” The middle-aged man snorted. A giant hand formed out of black fog appeared in his raised right hand suddenly. It took Zhuo Yixian’s place and connected with Wang Baole.

Everything occurred in the span of only a few seconds—from Zhuo Yixian on the verge of being trapped in a grim situation, to the appearance of the strange and mysterious man and his release of the giant hand made out of black fog. As the middle-aged man appeared and took Zhuo Yixian’s place to counter Wang Baole’s attack, a thundering explosion resounded in the air.

The loud thundering sounded across all directions. Wang Baole trembled and staggered a few steps backward. His breathing sped up, but there were no signs of blood being spilled. Zhao Yameng and Zhuo Yifan stepped forward and steadied him. Wang Baole lifted his head abruptly and stared at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man frowned. He seemed uninjured. He pulled back his right hand, which was trembling from the force of the blow. He was secretly shocked.

He was a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. A casual strike from him should have been able to flatten a True Breath realm cultivator. If it had been any other True Breath realm cultivator who had intercepted his earlier attack, the latter would have been injured grievously and spitting out blood.

But Wang Baole had only stumbled back. In fact, he didn’t even seem as if he had suffered an injury. That shocked and alarmed the middle-aged man.

It was the first time in his entire life that he had come across such a fearsome True Breath realm cultivator. Wang Baole’s physical power, especially, made him slightly fearful.

Beside him, Zhuo Yixian’s face had paled. Even though his guard rescued him, he had still been injured previously by Wang Baole’s Supernova, and blood seeped from his lips.

Despite being saved by his guard, he had still suffered injuries before a large crowd. Zhuo Yixian’s face and ears burned in that instant, and his eyes turned red. He seemed slightly crazed as he growled suddenly.

“Priest Zhou, I order you to take him down!”

The crowd witnessing the scene before them immediately stepped back and opened up a bigger space for them. Besides Li Yi and the other hundred seedlings who were more familiar with Wang Baole’s capabilities, others like Li Xiu were seeing Wang Baole fighting for the first time. Waves of emotions stirred within them. The fearsome power of Wang Baole’s physical strength and resilience had made a strong and immediate impression.

Inside the chambers, standing on elevated ground, Lin You was also observing the fight. However, the focus of his attention was on Lin Tianhao.

“Master, should I step in and stop the fight?” the old man standing behind Lin You asked quietly.

“No need. I want to see how Hao-er will resolve this matter.” Lin You shook his head, his eyes continued to watch Lin Tianhao, who seemed hesitant and torn. Gradually, disappointment surfaced in his gaze.

“Regardless whom he helped, I would’ve given him my support… but this is his home, and he is the host. Standing there without taking any action or making any stance may seem like the right decision, but it is actually the biggest mistake he can make!” Lin You sighed softly. He couldn’t help but compare Lin Tianhao with Wang Baole, or even Zhuo Yixian. The disappointment in his heart grew.

Even if Lin Tianhao couldn’t achieve Wang Baole’s level of strength and aggression, Lin You believed it would be good enough if he could at least reach Zhuo Yixian’s level.

Lin You sighed, and Lin Tianhao continued to hesitate. After Zhuo Yixian barked his order, the middle-aged man beside him frowned slightly. He didn’t question the orders, though, and was about to execute them.

At the same time, Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng both had a frosty glint in their eyes. They were eager to join Wang Baole in the fight. It was then… Wang Baole held his arms against them and stopped them both. As he lifted his head, his eyes shone with arrogance.

“There’s no need for you two to join in. Today, I, Wang Baole, will rely on myself and myself alone to fight this battle. Foundation Establishment realm… so what? In Wang Baole’s dictionary, there is no such word as fear!

“Diamy!”

Wang Baole shouted suddenly. As soon as he spoke, the Diamond Ape, which had been playing with its puppet in the distance, raised its head abruptly and let loose a terrifying roar. It stood and then gave the ground a heavy stomp. As the earth shuddered, the Diamond Ape’s looming body leaped straight into the air like a small mountain, and with a deafening quake, landed right next to Wang Baole.

Metal armor and pitch black fur, a sturdy towering form and a ferocious expression on its face—the Diamond Ape seemed foeless as it appeared in that instant. Its hands tightened into fists, and the metal gloves on them drove fear into everyone’s hearts. It raised its fists and hit its chest, letting loose a series of howls. It glared at the middle-aged man, who had been approaching but suddenly froze in his steps…

The middle-aged man couldn’t control the quickening of his heartbeat. His face started turning pale, which made the black spots on his face more striking. He swallowed, then sneaked a glance at the Diamond Ape. He dared not continue his approach for a long time. There was no doubt that he felt a strong sense of danger from the Diamond Ape. The other’s towering form and full suit of armor made his scalp prickle.

<em>What’s that about relying on yourself… </em>The middle-aged man’s breathing became labored, and he cursed inwardly. He had yet to meet someone who was more shameless than Wang Baole.

The crowd, upon witnessing the scene, fell silent as well. They had an odd expression on their faces when they stared at Wang Baole. Li Xiu was stunned. Lin Tianhao only smiled wryly.

Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng seemed accustomed to Wang Baole’s unique and bizarre sense of logic. In fact, they felt, indistinctly, that Wang Baole hadn’t said anything wrong…

As the crowd wrestled with their strange thoughts, Wang Baole took a brazen step forward and then charged towards Zhuo Yixian.

“Zhuo Yixian, are you going to apologize or not!” Wang Baole roared as he approached swiftly. As the look on Zhuo Yixian’s face transformed, Wang Baole had already arrived before him. His Foundation Establishment realm-level physical power exploded. He swung his fist forward!

Terror colored Zhuo Yixian’s face. He tried to dodge the attack to no avail. He only saw a blur before his eyes, heard something explode in his head, and felt waves of pain surging through his body. His body was like a kite with a cut string. Wang Baole’s punch sent him flying ten yards into the distance.

Fresh blood spilled across the ground, but the fight had not ended, and Wang Baole charged forward again. He snorted.

“Apologize!”

“Wang Baole, if you have the guts, then go ahead and kill me. You want me, Zhuo Yixian, to apologize? I’d rather die than be shamed in such a manner!” Zhuo Yixian climbed to his feet and howled at Wang Baole.

He was certain that Wang Baole wouldn’t dare to kill him. Besides, it was the city lord’s residence. Lin You wouldn’t sit by and allow such a thing to happen. He had nothing to fear, and was about to continue his taunting when Wang Baole rushed towards him and, instead of using his fist, swept his leg up and sent a vicious kick towards Zhuo Yixian’s crotch!

Zhuo Yifan’s eyes bulged out at the kick, and a buzz filled his mind. He could feel his entire body tensing. His scalp started prickling, numbness quickly taking over. An indescribable fear and horror possessed him.

Wang Baole’s kick looked extremely vicious, the force it roused terrifying. The air roared as his leg shot through it. One could imagine that if the kick landed, organs would be crushed instantly…

Lin You, who had been observing the entire fight, sucked in his breath as well. He smiled wryly and was about to stop the fight. Before he could say anything, Zhuo Yixian had fallen back shouting hastily, his face pale like a ghost.

“I was wrong, Yifan, I was wrong… don’t kick me, Wang Baole, stop!”

His apology was so sudden even Wang Baole was taken by surprise. He was seized by the sudden thought of how utterly useless Zhuo Yixian was.

The crowd looked at one another, speechless. They understood the terrifying consequences of having one’s crotch crushed. However, Zhuo Yixian’s fearless and arrogant attitude one moment and his frantic and cowardly surrender the next was too rapid a transformation. It took all of them by surprise.

As soon as Zhuo Yixian’s words rang out, Lin You’s booming voice, heavy with authority and power, descended upon the entire square!

“That’s enough! What sort of place do you think my Lin Residence is?”

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